by admin -

Summer Routine

The past few days have shown me the need for a summer routine. Usually we school through the summer, but after this year we needed a little break. We will probably pick school back up the first week of August, so until then we need to find something to do with all of our free time. Well, I don’t need to find anything to do with my free time, I have countless sewing projects, emails to respond to, bills to pay, rooms to paint, clothes to sort, furniture to paint, boxes to unpack, shelves to build, blogs to read, school planning to do, and a garage to clean. My kids however, don’t seem to have anything to do but to get into trouble.

So I have decided to start a little summer routine.

  • Wake up
  • Check email
  • Make breakfast (I hope to start the older kids making breakfast for the family at least a few days a week by the end of the summer)
  • Get dressed
  • Go to the park
  • Leave the park and go on a walk
  • Come home, eat a cookie on the front porch
  • Color/ draw
  • Eat lunch
  • Toddler Naps

That is as far as I have planned out my routine. In the evening Dad has been coming home and either taking them to the pool or the park to wear them out before bed. It is working. The kids love this routine so far because they know they get to play at the park and the big kids know they will get to hike. My oldest is also earning some P.E. hours because she has been playing basketball during our park time. The other benefit is that I am getting some exercise pushing the double jogger all over the base.

Here are some pictures from our park/hikes this week.

I hope I can keep this up throughout the summer, the kids are behaving much better and sleeping soundly at night.

by admin -

Protect Your Kids

I want to begin this post by saying that if I endorse a product on my site it means; I own it, love it, buy it as a gift for others, and I want you to love it too. I do not promote products very often, but when I do, consider me a believer.

A few weeks back I wrote a post about swim shirts. My kids have been wearing them for several years, and I believe all kids should be wearing them when they are in the pool, at the beach, or running around in the front yard sprinkler. One million people will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year, and every hour one person dies from skin cancer. Over 90% of skin cancer is caused by sun exposure. I have always known that skin cancer is dangerous ( I grew up in Florida), but I never really thought about how deadly it really is, until I met Rhonda.

Rhonda’s husband Darren was your typical outdoor guy. He loved to surf and snowboard and of course had many sunburns throughout his childhood. In 1996 Darren was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Darren stayed positive and lively for his three young boys, Ethan, Seth and Caleb and never gave up hope during his long five-year battle with the disease. On September 14, 2001, Darren lost his battle with cancer, at the age of 32.

Rhonda decided to take action with the hope of preventing another family from having to live through this type of tragedy. She started the Darren Lee Farwell Foundation on December 1st, 2001 to help fulfill Darren’s legacy. The Foundation was created to raise general public awareness of the ever-growing dangers of UV radiation from the sun; to educate children and adults as to how to protect themselves from over-exposure by using sunscreens, hats and UV protective clothing; and to facilitate early detection of skin disease by teaching people to be aware of their bodies and to look for the warning signs of skin cancer development.

After starting the Foundation Rhonda made a trip to Hawaii, and brought back some rash guard shirts for her boys. These shirts became so popular, but so hard to find, that Rhonda decided to start UV Skinz a company that sells swim shirts, shorts, hats and other accessories.

There are so many things I admire about Rhonda. When she was hit with a terrible tragedy, she made the best of a bad situation. Instead of looking back she set her gaze forward. Although I am sure she has had her moments, she has made it her mission to keep this from happening to others.

Her website is incredibly informative about why swim shirts are better than sun screen, and believe me as a long time user they are, facts about skin cancer, and her products are cute to boot. This month in honor of Darren’s birthday they are giving away A FREE SWIM SHIRT with any purchase for the entire month of June.

When my oldest son was little he had a severe reaction to sun screen. Every time we applied sunscreen his face would swell up and he would break out in hives. This kept us from taking him in the pool, except in the evening, for the first few years of his life. Thankfully he outgrew this allergy, but if we had known about swim shirts 12 years ago, things would have been a lot different.

I have been buying swim shirts for my kids for the past 5 years. I have purchased from many different companies including Target, Old Navy, Lands End, LL Bean, and local surf shops. The UV Skinz shirts blow away the competition. The sleeves are a little longer than most, for extra sun protection, and the fit is just right, not as tight as rash guard t’s but not so loose as to inhibit swimming. My son loves his UV Skinz shirt and wears it as often as he can, even if we are not going to the pool. In fact, tonight he is even sleeping in his shirt.

I would encourage you to check out Rhonda’s site UV Skinz. Skin cancer is 100% preventable if caught early! Protecting your skin during the first 18 years of life can reduce the risk of some types of skin cancer by up to 78%.

Your kids will thank you for it.

by admin -

Getting Settled

After a week of moving, I feel like we are finally getting settled in our new house. We still have a long way to go, (my bedroom and the garage) but we are making progress. This summer my goal is to sort through every bin, box and cubby we have in our house and get rid of the things my kids don’t use anymore. They have so many great toys, but they seem to get lost in the shuffle. I want to weed out the bad from the good so we can start using the good stuff!

Here are some pictures from our move.

Dining Room last week

Dining Room this week

Living Room last week

Living Room this week

Kitchen last week

Kitchen this week

School Room last week

School Room this week

The Garage (aka the black hole)

I hope to make progress on the black hole this week.

For more Making Your Home a Haven visit Crystal’s blog.

For more Talk about Tuesday visit Lara’s blog, she is having a giveaway!

For more tackles visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

by admin -

Monday Meanderings

Well, we are out of the old house and ready to turn over the keys today. It is a relief to have all the stuff moved and the old house clean. There is still a lot of work to do on the new house. We have almost unpacked, except for the garage, which is a total wreck. Here are some of my goals I hope to accomplish this week.

  • Finish unpacking
  • Finish kids’ report cards
  • Hang pictures
  • Paint school room
  • Order border for play room
  • Buy hardware for garage shelves
  • Start to organize the garage
  • Mail coupons for troops
  • Take the kids to the pool
  • Put away dishes given to us by ladies at church
  • RSVP to two baby showers
  • Plan oldest daughter’s birthday party
  • Finish mount laundry

If I can accomplish most of my list this week, I will be very happy. Things like the garage are projects that will take longer than a week, but I need to get started on them soon. We are taking a month break from school. I hope to plan for the coming school year (I have one starting high school) and then start back in July. I still need to order some curriculum but that can wait until next week.

Have a great week and don’t forget to visit Tiany’s blog for more Monday Meanderings.

by admin -

Curing the Summer Boredom Blues

I have a love/hate relationship with summer. I love the warm days, cool evenings, green grass and fireflies buzzing around our yard. What I don’t like about summer is the trouble my children get into when their days are not structured by our school work. Many homeschoolers school through the summer, we do too, but not full time. I need a break and I always think that I am going to get so much done in my free time, then September rolls around and I wonder, where did the time go? This summer is going to be different (I hope). I think I have come up with a way to keep the kids occupied as well as get things accomplished around the house.

First make a list (aren’t lists the best). The list should include all the goals/ projects you would like to accomplish this summer. Then cross off about half the things on your list, let’s be realistic about this.

Have your kids make a list of things they would like to do this summer. Be prepared for things like; motor cross through the desert, go to Disney, sky dive, etc… Then go through their list(s) and make it more realistic.

After you have written down your summer goals and figured out which ones can be accomplished come up with a plan. If your kids want to swim at the neighborhood pool, then tell them how many times they can expect to be taken to the pool each week. Then make it your priority to take them. There are probably many tasks on your list that can be done by your kids, let them know what is expected of them and give them a time frame in which to complete their jobs. What I have realized about my kids and many others, is that they don’t like to be surprised with work. My kids do pretty well with their known responsibilities. It is when I pile task after task on them with no end in sight that they get discouraged and attitudes take a turn for the worse very quickly.

Here is a practical example. One of my summer goals is to go through all of our videos/dvds and get rid of the ones we don’t watch or like anymore. That is a job I can assign to my children, since almost all of our movies are animated! I will let them know that this has become their responsibility and give them a date for completion. What I won’t do is walk into the room while they are watching a movie, step in front of the television and say, “I need you guys to sort through all our movies, now.” Obviously there are times when tasks need to be taken care of immediately, but that is not one of them.

If when you ask your kids what they want to do this summer they come up with either completely unrealistic expectations or they can’t think of anything, here are a few ideas to help them along.

  • Join the summer reading club at the library. My kids love this, especially because there is almost always prizes involved.
  • Visit a nursing home. Many of the residents are very lonely and would love to see the smiling faces of children.
  • If you are going on vacation, have your kids research the area you are going to and find something interesting they would like to see or do there.
  • If you are not going on vacation have your kids take a virtual vacation. Have them find a place they would like to visit and research it.
  • All those games in the back of your hall closet… play them.
  • Let your kids plan and cook a few meals a week.
  • Get a pen pal for your child.
  • Research movies that are also books, have your kids read the book and then watch the movie to compare.
  • Find unique places in your area and visit them.
  • Have your kids start a wildlife journal.
  • Find an elderly person your neighborhood and have your (older) child help them for a few hours a week. They could mow their yard, clean house, or just visit.
  • With supervision, kids can go around the neighborhood and pick up trash.
  • Get a membership to a local museum, zoo, aquarium.
  • Teach your child a life skill this summer, you can read about it here.

What do you plan to do with your kids this summer? Please share your ideas so we can all have a great summer!

 

by admin -

Girl’s room tackle

Have I mentioned that we are moving in one week? I am trying not to stress out about this move, I mean it is only across the street, but as with every other move I hate to move junk. There are few things I dislike more than opening up a box of something I didn’t want to begin with. So for the next two weeks, minus the 3 days I will be at the homeschool convention, I will be cleaning out my house, room by room. The past few days I have been working on the garage. Unfortunately, I forgot to take the before pictures, which might have been a good thing, it was a wreck. Anyway, I did get pictures of the homeschool books that I sorted in the garage. I started with 2 Rubbermaid bins, and 3 cardboard boxes full of school stuff. I managed to get it down to just the 2 Rubbermaid bins. I threw away a ton of stuff, found some books to sell at the used curriculum sale, and found a few things to put in our Goodwill pile, which has now taken over 2/3 of the minivan.

Books that are leaving my house in one way or another.

The Leftovers

After working for almost two days straight on the garage, (yes, it is that messy) I decided to tackle the girls’ room for a change of pace.

Before ( I realize there is a boy in the girls’ room, he wanted to show off his new toothbrush.)

After

For more tackles stop by 5 Minutes for Mom.

Visit Crystal’s blog for more Making your Home a Haven Monday.

by admin -

Thriving in the Military

My husband has been in the military for 20 years. He has worked his way up through the ranks, but when we first got married we were a poor enlisted family that did not know how to work the military system to our advantage. Here are some tips I have learned over the years on how to make it on one income in the military. 

 

  • Use the military healthcare system. I realize there are many of you who have horror stories about military doctors. I have them myself, but I also have them about civilian ones as well. There are great military doctors, you just have to be picky. In the military health care system they should pay for everything including some OTC drugs.  If you use a military pharmacy you can even request children’s Tylenol, Ibuprofen (childrens & adult), Claritin, Zyrtec, Robitussin, etc.  
  • Sign up for WIC.  I know not everyone agrees with WIC but it is something that we used many years ago and it really helped us to make ends meet during that time period. This site will explain the WIC program http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/.  There is probably a WIC office on base.  
  • Deployment benefits. Deployments are never fun, but if your spouse deploys make the most of this time. First of all most of the current deployments create a situation where your income is now tax free. There are also various deployment pays that your spouse will receive that are non taxable. Use that money to pay down any debt, or if you are debt free beef up your savings. There is also a savings program that allows you to invest up to 10,000 a year with a guaranteed 10% return on the investment.
  • Speaking of savings we have had many times in our military life where our pay has been wrong. Once it was a several thousand dollar mistake. You need to have an emergency fund. Having money in the bank can help you through moves, deployments, and promotions which tend to be the time when your pay can be inaccurate. 
  • Make sure you use the military to cover all other work related expenses.  For example, if your spouse has to take a cab home from the airport after a TDY, the military will reimburse them for it.  
  • Save money on kids stuff by using  hand me downs, e-bay, thrift shops (including the base thrift shop), yard sales (especially this time of year.)  Go early for the good deals.  Craigslist is also a great resource.  
  • Talk to First Sergeant if AF or Chief if Navy about money/financial  planning.   
  • If Air Force, visit the Family Support Center.  I think they may have changed the name of this to Airman Readiness Center or something. There is a place called Airman’s Attic with all kinds of free stuff. Some with free things including diapers, formula and clothing.  
  • Whenever you move, even if you have the military hire movers, do a partial DITY move. You can usually make a few hundred dollars just by weighing your vehicle and filling out a few forms. 
  • Increase the number of exemptions for taxes.  This creates more money in your pocket each pay period.
  • If you can live on post, this is almost always a better deal than renting. Everything is covered in your BAH including utilities. 
  • Shop at the commissary. There has been a lot of debate about whether or not the commissary is cheaper, but I have friends who have made price books and they agree that the commissary is cheaper. 
  • Many bases offer services for family members of deployed service members. I know that where I live the Army subsidizes drop in child care as well as gives discounts on tons of programs if the parent is deployed. 
  • Become a resident of state you are stationed if there is no income tax.
  • Utilize your local library for entertainment. Books, CDs, movies and activities for preschoolers are all available at the library for free. 
  • This would be long term, but, your spouse should start on their bachelors degree if they don’t have one already. Apply to Officer Training School or even a ROTC program somewhere.  Let the military pay for it all.  Take advantage of all the tuition assistant programs available. My husband got his commission through the Navy. The Navy paid his salary for 3 years while he got his bachelor’s degree. He also got his masters degree paid for by the Navy, as well as numerous certificates and certifications. 

These are just a few ways to thrive on a military income. I hope to continue this series throughout the summer.  Thanks to my friends and military spouses Liz and Nancy for helping me come up with these suggestions. 

For more frugal tips stop by Crystal’s blog.Â